Homemade Hummus (So easy and so very good)

Like a lot of my recipes, there is a story behind / about this recipe. This one starts out with Aileen and I preparing to have some friends over for dinner (I think it was an afternoon BBQ one Spring / Summer). As we were planning the menu, I said "I think I'd like to make some homemade hummus". I think there was a roll of her eyes by Aileen followed by a "let's not make things difficult". Well, the rest is history... The bowl was cleaned and there may have even been a comment later along the lines of "maybe we should have made a double batch?" (but, who's keeping track?).

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)

• 1/4 cup tahini (make sure you stir it well)

• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for serving

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 can chickpeas (15-ounce) or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (8oz dried)

• 1 to 3 tablespoons water depending upon how thick or loose you prefer

• Additional salt for taste

• Dash of ground paprika for garnishing (some also prefer sumac or za'atar)

Directions

1. Juice the lemon into the bowl of your food processor.

2. Measure out and combine tahini into the food processor bowl.

3. Process the mixture for about 1 - 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor bowl and "pulse" for 30 - 45 seconds more. Try to do this to time helps make the tahini cream. The goal here is to make the hummus as smooth and creamy as possible.

4. Add the olive oil, garlic, cumin, and a salt to the tahini / lemon juice mixture and "pulse" process for another 30 - 45 seconds more. Again, you will want to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and "pulse" process for another 30 - 45 seconds or until well blended.

5. Open and drain the chickpeas and give them a little rinse under cold water. Add the chickpeas into the food processor and chop on full power for 45 - 60 seconds. Make sure you stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and process the mixture again until thick and quite smooth (another 1 or 2 minutes).

6. Check the consistency of the hummus again. If you think it is too thick or if there are pieces of chunky chickpeas, then turn the food processor back on and drizzle 1-3 tablespoons of water into the spinning mixture until you reach the consistency you desire for your hummus.

7. Take a spatula and turn out your hummus into a serving town and adjust your hummus for taste with salt.

8. Serve YOUR hummus with another drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika (or sumac or za'atar).

9. Your homemade hummus can easily be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator (up to one week). But I DARE you to avoid the temptation to do this.

Tips:

• This recipe pairs nicely with my TheITGourmet Homemade Pita Bread and / or TheITGourmet Eggplant Caviar (just sayin'...).

• When I make this I sometimes will cook the chickpeas in a pot so they get even more tender (if cooking the chickpeas from dried, I cook according to the directions on the bag and I will definitely overcook them to make them smooth and tender -- oh, and I add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder when I soak them overnight - this makes for a more tender and less gassy cooked bean).

As Always Best Regards and BonAppetIT!!!

TheITGourmet